Adient to open new seating manufacturing plant in China

China

Published: 20 April, 2017

Global automotive seating and interiors supplier Adient has announced it plans to open a new 90,000 sq m seating mechanism plant in Changshu, China.

The project is in collaboration with Adient Yanfeng Seating Mechanism, one of the manufacturer’s joint ventures in China, which is to transfer current employees from Shanghai and hire local workers to staff the Changshu plant. According to Adient, the plant will have special engineering, testing, prototyping and manufacturing capabilities for seating mechanisms, such as tracks, adjusters, latches and related parts, and will supply major automakers in China and abroad, including Volkswagen, GM, Ford, BMW, Daimler, SAIC, Mazda, Honda, Great Wall and Chang'an.

"Adient is dedicated to reinforcing vertical integration in core seating mechanisms technologies and providing our customers with products manufactured locally in China," said Darlene Knight, Vice-President, Adient China. "With the opening of the new plant in Changshu, Adient plans to further expand our footprint and capacities in China”, added Knight.

The move of production lines and hiring of employees are planned for later in 2017, and the plant is to be fully operational in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Formed in December 2013, Adient Yanfeng Seating Mechanism is the 50:50 joint venture between Adient and Yanfeng Automotive Trim Systems. It currently operates its seating mechanisms businesses in a 71,000 sq m campus headquartered in Kangqiao Industry Zone, Shanghai, China.